Chris Stapleton just announced the release of his fourth studio album, Starting Over. The country music hitmaker admits he accumulated over a thousand songs for the new project, whittling them down to the 14 that appear on the record, thanks in part to his supportive — and talented — wife, Morgane.
“Recording to me is trying to capture magic, as much as you can, the magic of the moment,” Chris told CBS This Morning, speaking of choosing the songs to include on Starting Over. “My wife tells me. That’s what my wife said in the background, and she’s not wrong. She’s not wrong. Me and Dave Cobb may be listed as producers on the record, but my wife is generally the producer of my life, so my wife will let me know when it’s right. I used to say she has excellent taste in everything but men.”
Included on Starting Over is a song called “Watch You Burn,” which was his response to the heartbreaking Route 91 Harvest Music Festival shooting in 2017. Much as he admits he dealt with the stress of the coronavirus pandemic by riding a mountain bike, he found a way to deal with his emotions over the tragedy by writing a song.
“It’s a powerful number to me that conveys the sentiment, ‘Hey, let’s cut the evil s–t out'” Chris noted. “It’s a plea in some ways … I think it’s, in the way the bicycle works, it’s therapeutic in some ways.”
As part of his far-reaching interview with CBS This Morning, the father of five also spoke out about the Black Lives Matter movement, urging other people to do more to combat racial inequality.
“I think everybody should be doing more,” Chris said. “There’s a very broad awakening that I guess has come about, and It’s time for me to listen. And it’s time for other folks to listen.”
“You know, I thought we were living in a different country. And that’s 100 percent real,” he continued. “I feel like the country that I thought that we were living in was a myth. I think we all have a lot of work to do, as individuals and as a society. And if you don’t think that, I think you’re not looking.”
Starting Over will be released on November 13. It is currently available for pre-order via his website.
